I see a lot of the same things on packing lists throughout the Web: zip-off pants, scarves, antimicrobial underwear, etc. Obviously these items don't work for everyone. Name something you've brought on a trip but won't bring again, and something you've needed desperately that you've added to your list.

1. Overrated: pashmina. Unless I'm going to a temple, I won't bother bringing one again. I'm not stylish - give me my windbreaker instead.
2. Underrated: comfortable pillow. Stayed in a London room that hadn't been updated since the Blitz, and spent nights resenting the rock upon which I laid my head. I'm just miserable if I don't sleep well. It takes up some room in my bag, but now I pack a Thermarest pillow.

Most Overrated:
Big fat fancy SLR cameras. Unless your main purpose is photography and you're going with a group or on a tour specializing in that, even a moderately sized camera can become a huge pain in the butt. It makes it difficult to blend in and look inconspicuous in a new town plus, having a slim, credit-card type sized camera makes it easy to slip it in and out of your shirt/jacket pocket for those quick, sly photo ops.

Most Underrated:
Dr. Scholl's Foot Spray. Its basically an aerosol spray with baking soda in it for odor control. Its not just for your feet. I spray the inside of my shoes with it even when I'm not travelling, but especially when I'm travelling and walking long hours. Because it absorbs both odors AND moisture, its great to use on just about anything else, like the inside of your bag/pack, even some of your clothing when it smells and there's no way of washing it. the best part, it doesn't smell all perfumy like air freshner or deodorant. Great stuff.

Most Over-rated--The foldable travel razor. I think it was invented by Dr. Guillitine and he wanted to kill any traveler that used one. I now use no foldable disposable razors very nice and availble almost everywhere. Including village shops in the middle of the jungle.

Most under-rated--Neosporin plus. I never go anywhere without it great for cuts, sctatches, bug bites, almost anything and a 2oz. tube lasts a long time.

Over-rated. Travel guide books:LP, Lets Go etc etc. For a lot of the time travelling, bar the extremes - you just don´t need them.

Under-rated. Nylon ties and hot glue sticks. You can repair almost anything with this (providing you have a lighter ) and take up virtually no room.

elv

I can't really think of anything I'd call over-rated from my own experience, mainly because all the things I've taken and not used were things I later found out most people would've told me not to bother with anyway.

But I have a list of things I will never leave home without ever again:
1. Sweat rash cream (3B from neatfeat.co.nz ) and talc, especially in hot places. There's only one thing worse than sweat rash so bad it bleeds (see point 2)
2. Heel balm. This will go in my carry-on bag for long flights too - nothing worse than dry feet that expand on a long flight and crack so deep they bleed and you can hardly walk when you get off the plane. Many people give the same advice and many people ignore it, but it really is true: LOOK AFTER YOUR FEET!
3. Breakfast bars. I just can't stand not getting being able to find food in the morning.

Most Over rated: the Sarong. I know this will be highly contested by pretty much every woman on here but I am not a sarong person. It doesn't absorb water good enough to not bring a towel and the majority of the time it just sits in my bag taking up space. I find every use for a sarong that people throw at me I either would rather go with out or can easily substitute with something already in my pack. The only thing I think I would really use it for was if I were somewhere that I would be touring temples or a similar type of place requiring me to be covered more than my average wardrobe.

Most underrated: I'm not quite sure. There are a few contenders for this one but I'll have to go with ickis' #3 and say Cliff bars. I need snacks. Not just for breakfast but if you get caught on transportation longer than you thought and end up missing a meal or by the time you arrive somewhere all of the food places have closed. Always bring snacks.

In addition to what I've previously posted...


OVERRATED:
Fast-dry towels. Yes, they can absorb a lot and are very small, but they cannot do a lot of the other things a regular towel can do, like cleaning things, cushioning things, etc. I've been using a fast-dry towel on a number of trips now and don't see that there is a net benefit. I would recommend getting a "smaller" sized regular bath towel instead.

UNDERRATED:
Metamucil. On any "adventure" trip its everyone's greatest fear to have abnormal bathroom routines. A dose of this every night before going to bed will allow you to "clean out the system" the following morning so that you are ready to go for the day. Plus, its very easy to neglect drinking water while on a trip and therefore become dehydrated. Taking metamucil will help keep you regular when you're not getting enough water.

I agree with Callilucy on the sarong--I've never been able to use one--especially as a towel. It just pushes the water around and I need to get dry, not redistribute the water!

And instead of Metamucil bring psyllium capsules. Cheaper and easier to carry.